Legend of the Cursed Child
by Nightangel1282
Summary: In Feudal Times Hiei unwittingly rescues a human girl who's got more than a few things in common with him. Could there be possible romance in store for our favorite hybrid? H/oc/YK
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I know I have tonnes of other stories going on at the moment, but this idea has been bouncing around in my head for almost a year and if I waited another day to get it written down and start posting, I was going to scream! Don't worry, I am still working on all my other projects and they will be updated soon!**

**This is a slightly AU Yu Yu Hakusho fanfiction. It will have two parts, one taking place in the Feudal Age (NOT A CROSSOVER WITH INUYASHA!!) and the other taking place in modern times with the entire Yu Yu Hakusho gang. What would happen if Hiei had met a human girl whose circumstances in life closely mirrored his own? And what will his best friend Youko think of her? I present to you for your reading pleasure...**

**Legend of the Cursed Child**

A lone figure raced through the dense forest, her kimono barely classifiable even as rags. One could no longer even make out the floral pattern that once had gone up the sides of the once pink, but now almost muddy brown, material. She was barefoot, and unheeding of the feel of the pebbles and twigs that dug into the bottom of her feet as she ran. Her black hair was tangled and long, almost reaching down to her rear, and she didn't pause for a second even as the low hanging branches caught into the tangles and tried to pull her back. Her pale skin was dotted with bruises and scratches, one particularly nasty looking cut in the midst of healing visible through a hole in the side of her kimono.

Her lungs were burning from the excursion, but she dared not stop. Between her ragged breathing and the sound of her own feet hitting the ground, she heard the crashes of her pursuers still chasing her unrelentlessly.

Running was one of the few things she could do well. Her life had pretty much demanded she learn to be swift on her feet, since she had no strength to back herself up with. But even her speed, the one asset she could somewhat pride herself in, was not immune to her lack of health. She had eaten nothing but a few berries and roots in the last two days, and she was already past the point of exhaustion.

So it really didn't come as too big a surprise to her when she felt one of her pursuers tackle her to the ground. She felt a few of her ribs crack with the force of his tackle and her ankle unnaturally beneath her. She let out a cry of pain and then felt all the air leave her lungs when she hit the ground. When she could breathe again, she screamed at the painful grip the demon atop of her used to hold her down as his friends caught up. She was rewarded with a painful hit across her face, and then a set of clawed hands went around her throat, the thumbs crushing her voice box, rendering her mute.

She knew there was no point in fighting, so she simply resigned herself to what she knew was going to happen. When she had accidentally stumbled into the demons camp in the first place, she had known something like this was going to happen. It always did, and as usual, it was her own fault that she got into this situation.

She felt as what was left her of her kimono was torn from her body and the claws of her attackers as they dug into her flesh, adding more injuries. She listened to their taunts, to their sadistically spoken plans of what they would do to her, and possible long term plans should she even survive this ordeal. She didn't care. Her entire life had revolved around nothing but pain and misery, so she saw none of this as a surprise. She could only hope that she would die in the midst of this attack so it would end the misery that was her life.

She could not scream through the pain of the attack, nor the humiliation. The insisted, of course, of abusing her physically as well as ravaging her body. She forced her mind to go blank, a technique she found that worked well in such situations, but then.... this was the first time it had been demons doing the damage. The pain was worse than even what she was used to. But it didn't matter. With any amount of luck she would die and she would no longer be forced to suffer.

It was impossible for her to tell how much time passed before they grew tired of torturing her. She was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness and could only barely make out their conversation a few yards away, as they tried to decide what to do with her next. The two options seemed to be merely killing her (which she hoped for) or selling her as a pleasure slave. There was some debate due to her current condition.

She just layed there, resigning herself to whatever fate the demons decided for her, when a voice different from the ones she had heard thus far interrupted their musings.

"So, I have finally found you fools," this voice said, filled with a malicious glee promising untold suffering and death.

"It's Hiei!!" the ringleader of the demons cried, his voice evincing fear. The woman thought if they were afraid of this new arrival, he must truly be a horrifying figure. Ignoring the pain it caused, she opened her eyes and slowly turned her head so she could see where her attackers stood, curious in spite of herself.

Standing between her and the demons was a figure dressed all in black, but for a puffy white collar. He seemed to be rather short, but it was difficult for her to really tell from her current position lying on the ground, though the demons that had attacked her seemed to tower over him and she wondered for a moment how someone so small could be considered a threat to the five of them. He had his back to her and was faced off against the others, apparently unaware of her presence.

"Hn. I'm surprised you remember me... _considering you left me in the hopes I would DIE!!!"_ the figure shouted angrily. Then he unsheathed a sword. "But I have come to exact my revenge. If you didn't want me around, you should have just said so. Now you fools will die by MY hands!"

"W-wait! Hiei, you don't understand!" one of them started off lamely. "We didn't..."

The one they called Hiei didn't give them a chance to finish. As the immobile woman watched, he seemed to vanish into thin air and then reappear again in his original position, except he had his sword in a position as if he had just finished making a slash. He calmly lowered his sword to his side and chuckled.

Her one good eye went wide when the five demons suddenly came apart, blood spurting where the small demon had sliced through them with his sword. A sickening sound permeated the air, followed by the coppery scent of blood as the slices all fell into a large pile on the forest floor. The demon then lifted his hand and those pieces burst into flames that eagerly fed on their remains, leaving nothing but ashes left in scant seconds.

Before the woman could stop herself, she let out a strangled gasp that was easily audible to this demons ear. He froze, his head turning slightly. The woman only caught a half glimpse of his profile before he vanished from her sight and was suddenly only a foot or so away from her, his sword pressed against her throat.

She took a moment to examine him. He looked no older than she was, but she knew that being a demon, he was likely far, far older, especially if the display she'd just seen was any indication. Any who would see him at first glance would mistake him for being human... until they noticed the purple third eye sitting in the middle of his forehead.

His face was without any expression at all, his red eyes looking straight into her dark green. He didn't move an inch since the sword had been placed at her throat, as if he himself was not sure what should be done with her. His eyes left hers for only a few seconds as he took in her beaten and naked form before returning to her face again.

She sighed inwardly at this new situation. She could do nothing. Since she could no longer speak, she couldn't even beg him to spare her life, or to ensure her a quick death. At the moment she was actually hoping he would simply kill her and be done with it.

_Yes,_ she thought. _If I die, then I don't have to suffer through life anymore. The villagers were right... everyone would have been better off if I had been killed the moment I was born. I deserve whatever fate this demon gives me. This is what I deserve for being the Cursed Child._

The moment this thought went through her head, his expression changed to one of curiosity. He seemed to frown thoughtfully. Taking in her condition once more, he scowled somewhat. To the woman's surprise, he resheathed his sword, and then removed his cloak in one swift movement and used it to cover her nakedness.

Her confusion grew all the more when he then carefully scooped her up into his arms. But in spite of how careful he was, the movement still caused shooting pains to wrack her body. She let out a strangled gasp and her world darkened as she finally lost consciousness.

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Hiei looked at the onna he had just unintentionally rescued. Her expression had held no fear even as his katana had been right against her throat, capable of ending her life with a mere flicker of movement. It had held nothing but resignation. She had no fear of what he might have done to her.

That alone had piqued his curiosity and he had activated his jagan to look into her mind, to see what was going through her thoughts. The contents served to stun him and only made his curiosity more intense.

She had called herself the Cursed Child. A term that he was not familiar with... but that he was eager to learn of. She had also stated in her thoughts that she should have been killed at birth... a practice that was apparently common for other Cursed Children. He wondered what had made her different... why her life had been spared.

Was a Cursed Child... anything like a Forbidden Child?

Hiei had to know. But as the onna was apparently rendered mute due to his former allies, he would have to wait to receive his answers. He started off with the now unconscious woman in his arms.

_Fox! Are you at the den?_ He called out telepathically.

_Yes, Hiei. Why do you ask?_

_Prepare some of your healing plants. I'm bringing over a patient._

He could sense the kitsune's curiosity through the link. _Really? Who?_

_Never mind that. You'll see when I get there._

When there was no further response from his target, Hiei knew Youko would be prepared by the time he arrived. Allowing some of his youki to envelop the girl to shield her from the coming cold of the night, he headed toward his home.

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**I know this chapter is pretty short, but consider it sort of the prequel to the story itself. The next chapter will be longer. Please tell me what you think so far! Read and Review!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter two of Legend of the Cursed Child. I know it's not much longer than the last chapter. Sorry, but my time to work on my stories is limited now. I'll do what I can to change that for the next one.**

**I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own is my own character... who's name will be revealed in the NEXT chapter! :P**

**__________**

As he expected, Youko was finishing up preparing various salves and remedies in the den when Hiei arrived. The kitsune looked up as his friend entered and his eyebrows rose inquisitively when he got a closer look at the form he held in his arms.

"You rescued a human woman, Hiei? Are you feeling well?" he asked, only half serious.

"Hn. She was attacked by former allies of mine. I didn't even realize she was there until they were dead."

Taking a closer look at the woman, and realizing she was wrapped in Hiei's cloak, the fox didn't even have to guess what they had done to her before Hiei had gotten there. But still, the fact that his friend had actually rescued her boggled his mind.

"I thought you didn't care for humans, Hiei. Whatever could have possessed you to rescue this one? I would think you'd simply kill her and put her out of her misery."

Hiei sent him a glare. "I will explain later, Fox. Now, are you going to treat her injuries or not?"

Looking from the girl to his friend a little doubtfully, Youko sighed and gently took the woman from the hybrid. He set her down on a pile of furs and started to examine the extent of her injuries carefully.

"Hmm... she doesn't seem to have any severe head injuries, but they crushed her voice box. Fortunately, that shouldn't prove difficult to treat..." He frowned as he unwrapped Hiei's jacket from around her. "Broken ribs, probably a cracked collarbone, good chance of a collapsed lung..." Then his frown deepened. "Hmmm? Interesting..."

Hiei came forward. "What is it, Fox?"

Youko indicated a deep wound that looked as if it was in the process of healing. "This wound here is several days old. And it was NOT caused by the claws of a demon."

The koorime frowned thoughtfully. "Then what caused it?"

He shrugged. "It doesn't look as if it was something very sharp. My best guess would be a tool of some sort. Perhaps a farmers tool. It looks as if she's been having problems with her own kind as well recently."

"Hn."

The fox looked at him again. "Is there something you're not telling me, Hiei?"

"I told you, fox. I will tell you everything later. Just take care of her injuries."

Shrugging inwardly, the fox simply did as his friend requested. He knew Hiei would tell him what was going on when he was ready. He continued his initial examination of the girl, taking note of a dislocated shoulder, severely bruised wrists, and severe bruising in her groin region... a testament to the violence she had just experienced. In addition to these were various claw marks from their rough handling of her. Looking at the injuries and given Youko's own morals when it came to the treatment of women, he hoped Hiei had given the lot of them a painful death.

He started his treatments by ensuring the open wounds would not become infected, using a salve concocted by a variety of plants. The plants would also drastically speed up the time it would take the heal the wounds. They would be fully healed in only a couple days. Then he focused on the bruises and contusions, putting a firm clamp on his own lustful nature as he spread the ointment on the woman's nether regions. When the woman let out a little whimper that caused his ears to perk up slightly, he had to remind himself that she was both injured and had just been horrifically violated. That seemed to be enough to tame his inner beast for the time being.

Finally, he gently worked some remedies down her throat, pouring them into her mouth a little at a time and gently massaging her throat to coax her to swallow. Once he was finished his treatments, he wrapped her in a few blankets, keeping in mind her loss of blood would make her colder, and left her to rest.

Hiei had stayed leaning against the wall of the cave, his eyes never leaving the woman the entire time Youko had been treating her. Only when the fox finally stood up did the koorime show sign of movement.

"She will be all right with some rest, Hiei. Now... perhaps you would like to tell me what is going on, seeing as I have done what you asked?"

"Hn." He didn't look at the fox. He just looked at the cave wall across from him. "Once I had found the thieves, I wasn't even aware she was there until I had already killed them. She made a sound... I think an intake of air. I was there beside her in an instant, my sword at her throat." He frowned thoughtfully. "She just looked at me. I could detect no fear in her at all."

Youko rose an eyebrow in interest. "That's new."

He nodded. "Her expression was without emotion. It was as if she didn't care what I did. I was curious, so I used my jagan eye on her. I wanted to know what was going through her head." His frown deepened. "She was thinking of how she deserved death, of how she wanted her life of suffering to end." He looked at Youko for the first time. "She called herself the Cursed Child, Fox."

The fox frowned thoughtfully. "The Cursed Child? That's a term I've never heard before."

"Neither have I. I want to know what it means and..." The demon scowled slightly.

Youko smiled knowingly. "You want to know if it is anything like a Forbidden Child?"

He nodded. "Yes. She implied she was supposed to be killed at birth." He snorted. "I may have found a _human_ that I can sympathize with."

Youko smirked slightly and cast a glance at where said human was still sleeping. "Well... at least you found a pretty one."

Hiei snorted and rolled his eyes. "Try focusing on something other than your hormones, fox. I somehow doubt she's going to be all over either of us any time soon."

The fox pursed his lips in thought as he considered the girl and what little he'd been told of her, and then sighed inwardly as he realized Hiei was right. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to flirt with the little flower while he could. That was, of course, depending upon how long she was going to remain with them.

Hiei suddenly moved from his position against the wall. "Well, I should get us some food now. I'll go hunt. You keep an eye on the onna."

Youko nodded absently, still a little lost in his own thoughts. Then he remembered how skinny the woman seemed to be. She was clearly malnourished. "You might want to get a little extra, Hiei. I don't think the girl has eaten for a few days."

"Hn." Without a word, the demon vanished from sight and was gone.

While Youko waited for the return of his friend, he went over to where the woman was still laying and got a basin of water. Not having much else to do while he waited, he decided he may as well clean her off somewhat. Again, he gently unwrapped her from the blankets and carefully cleaned the dried blood and grime from her skin. It wasn't the best cleaning job, but he would allow her to use the hot spring out the rear exit of the cave when she was feeling up to it.

He frowned thoughtfully when he got to her shoulder once more. It was still dislocated, but he didn't like the idea of possibly waking her up while pulling it back into place. However, he couldn't leave it like that for much longer. He wasn't sure how long it had been out of the socket already. Had it happened when she was attacked by the demons, or when she had had her encounter with the humans before? Youko swept his fingers through his hair and soon had a plant before him. Plucking off one of the leaves, he held it under the girls nose. The smell of the plant would put her into a deeper sleep and would greatly lessen the chances of her waking up as he repaired the injury.

Carefully gripping her arm and holding her body in place, he gave a swift hard yank, pulling it back into the socket. He was more than a little surprised when the girl didn't so much as twitch at the procedure. Smirking a little, he settled the girl back down and rewrapped her in the warm blankets. "I think, little one, that we can add exhaustion to the list of malady's affecting you, can't we? What in all the worlds have you been through?"

The girl, of course, said nothing, and just continued to lay there. Shaking his head, the kitsune turned his attention to putting away his supplies and awaiting the return of Hiei.

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An hour or so later, Hiei returned with a deer... something that would last them several days. Working together, the two demons quickly skinned and gutted the creature, and then proceeded to make a stew out of some of the meat, putting the rest away to be eaten later. Youko added some vegetables to the stew and the two of them ate silently, each lost in their own thoughts.

A few hours passed with nothing but idle conversation between the two of them. The moon was rising now, an indication that they should soon be going to sleep. However, as this thought crossed Hiei's mind, the two of them heard a gentle rustle of fabric and a rasping intake of air coming from where the woman was lying.

The two of them immediately got up and went to where she was laying, Youko going right to her side. The woman's eyes slowly opened, looking a little bleary before they settled on him. The kitsune immediately understood what Hiei had been talking about. The woman's expression was completely without emotion, and although there was a little curiosity in her eyes, he saw no sign of fear at all. Not a normal reaction for a young woman who just awoke to find herself with a kitsune. Her eyes trailed past him and a flicker of familiarity passed over them when she saw Hiei standing there looking at her.

Youko smiled at her gently. "Well, you've had a rough evening, little one. But I treated your injuries and you should be fully healed in only a few days."

A little confusion passed over her expression, and she opened her mouth to speak but only wound up wincing a second later. Youko gently lifted her chin and she went stiff.

"Yes, your voice box was crushed in the attack, but you should be able to speak by tomorrow. In the meantime, are you hungry? We still have some stew left over."

For the first time her eyes widened and she nodded, obviously trying not to look too eager.

Youko chuckled slightly. "All right. I'll get you a bowl of stew. Hiei can help you sit up." He moved to where the food was still in the pot as the hybrid stepped forward.

The woman slowly worked her way into a sitting position, wincing with each movement, Hiei standing by in case she should need help. Suddenly she swayed slightly, a dizzy spell overtaking her and he quickly caught her, holding her against him. She immediately went as rigid as a board.

"It's all right, onna. Neither one of us has any intentions of forcing ourselves upon you. You can relax," he said gently in her ear. He carefully made sure she was steady once again as Youko approached, holding a steaming bowl of stew. Hiei sat beside her and kept his arm around her to keep her steady. Youko rose an eyebrow seeing this, but said nothing.

The girl slowly accepted the stew, smelled it and then started to eat with a gusto that took them both by surprise. In only a couple of minutes, the bowl was empty and she almost trembled in relief at finally having something in her stomach.

The fox chuckled. "Hungry little thing, aren't you? Do you want some more? We have plenty left."

The barely detectable trace of a smile pulled at the corner of her lips as she looked up at him a little warily and gave a small nod. Then the blankets around her started to slip and she blinked, looking down and quickly yanked them up again, holding them in place with her hands. Her eyes were enormous when she realized she was still naked.

Hiei frowned. "Hn. We need to steal some clothes for her, Youko. I doubt she'll be comfortable having nothing to conceal herself with but sheets."

Youko grinned a little pervertedly at the thought, but then nodded. "Tomorrow one of us can go out and steal a kimono from somewhere."

The girl looked up then, genuine surprise on her features now. Then her expression turned inward as she wordlessly accepted her second helping of stew and made short work of it.

Youko sat on the other side of her then and gave her his most winning smile. Her expression turned a little apprehensive upon seeing it but she relaxed slightly when he spoke. "It's getting late now, little one. We can have proper introductions in the morning when you've had a full night of sleep."

She glanced at Hiei and then nodded. She went a little stiff once again when Youko vacated his spot beside her and Hiei once again lifted her into his arms and layed her down in a comfortable position upon the furs. Then he reached up and removed his headband. She saw the third eye once again.

He layed his fingers at her temple. She went completely still for a long moment before it became evident that he wasn't doing anything that was intended to bring her harm. He held himself back from smirking at her obvious unease.

"Close your eyes, onna. I will get you to sleep."

She seemed to hesitated for the span of a few heartbeats before her completely neutral expression returned and she simply did as she was told. His jagan picked up on her thoughts as he activated his power to get her to sleep.

_I don't know what they want with me, but it doesn't look like they're going to hurt me yet. Do they want to hold me as a slave? At least they don't seem violent, and it looks like they're willing to feed me if that turns out to be the case..._

Then her thoughts swept away as sleep overtook her.

Hiei and Youko left the woman to sleep and sat against the wall of the cave.

"I understand why you were curious about her now. You were right. I could detect no actual fear from her when she woke up and saw me standing over her. Most unusual for a human to not fear waking up in the presence of demons."

Hiei shrugged. "My guess is she doesn't really care what happens to her anymore. I'm not sure what that woman's been through, Fox, but whatever it was it completely crushed her soul." He frowned. "Before she went to sleep she was thinking we may want to keep her as a slave. Strangely she doesn't seem to mind so long as we feed her."

Youko rose both of his eyebrows hearing this and turned to his friend. "Are you considering...?"

He snorted before the kitsune could even complete the question. "You know me better than that, fox. A slave is not actually a willing participant. They are given no other choice in the matter. It is no different from rape. And I will have no part in such a thing."

The fox considered this and sighed, realizing that Hiei was right. It was too close to being rape, and he, too, would have no part in such things. After all, it was so much more pleasurable when the woman was only too willing to give as well as receive.

Looking out the entrance of the cave, Hiei saw that the moon was well over the tree line... a true indication that it was time for them to get some rest as well. He had a feeling tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Following his gaze, Youko got the hint as well. Leaning his head against the wall, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off. Hiei looked at his friend for along moment before doing the same.

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**Please Review!! I really want feedback on what people think of this story! I've been planning it out for almost a year now. ^_^**


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